The River of Life
by xSilverSoulx
Summary: Riverclan formed a new clan in a new forest after a huge storm that caused the 4 original clans to split up and nearly die out. Omega, a young medicine cat who has sinned in the name of Starclan, is traumatized by her mistakes, and Starclan won't give her memories back. Owl, a young tom, wants to be a medicine cat, but gets tied up in the threads of Omega's terrible past.
1. Prologue

Omega padded back and forth in front of her den, a small cave shrouded with ferns. Omega's light tabby pelt rippled in fear. A young mother, a she-cat who never should have chosen to bear kits, was giving birth right then inside the den. But Omega was never meant to be a medicine cat. She could never handle the sight of blood or the sour scent of an infected wound. So, like a complete coward, Omega had rushed outside for some fresh air while Yellow Bird was giving birth to her kits.

"Omega! What are you doing?" Silver asked her as she spotted Omega from the warrior's den. "Where is Yellow Bird, for Starclan's sake?"

Omega lowered her head. "I…. I can't handle it anymore. I'm going to tell Mudstar that he has to ask Starclan for another medicine cat. I have done wrong in my life, and Starclan can never forgive me for that." Only Silver knew the truth, and she had sworn long ago to never tell a single soul.

"Yes you can, Omega," Silver affectionately licked Omega's ear. She was Omega's older sister and was always the one to push her back onto her paws. "Go on, don't be a scaredy mouse! A she-cat needs you right now."

Omega sighed. "Okay. Fine." She turned back and ducked into the entrance of her den. Yellow Bird's pale ginger fur was damp with sweat. She was heaving for air, a little bundle of fur already at her side. Yellow Bird looked up and groaned.

"Where were you?" Yellow Bird hissed. She gasped in pain and her eyes rolled back.

In the dark, cool cave, Omega could easily sneakily snatch a bundle of raspberry leaves and lie, "I had to retrieve some herbs to relieve your pain." Yellow Bird relaxed.

"Thank you," she panted. Omega nodded and removed three leaves from the bundle.

"Eat that. I'll mix you some borage as well, to help when your kits come," Omega murmured.

Yellow Bird's amber eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness. "How many kits?" she rasped.

"Three," Omega said, stripping borage leaves into shreds and letting the juices seep out of the leaves.

Yellow Bird suddenly let out a high-pitched wail as the second kit started to come into the world. "It's stuck," Yellow Bird croaked. "Omega… help me." But Omega didn't notice. She was stuck in a flashback. She remembered the same exact wail. Omega could barely remember a pale yellow she-cat with vibrant green eyes, exactly like Yellow Bird with different eyes, dripping blood from her flank. The yellow she-cat had wailed two times before slumping to the ground. Omega recalled later burying the she-cat. Omega snapped out of her flashback and realized that Yellow Bird had already finished giving birth and was frantically licking the last two kits. Omega was still stunned from the memory so she couldn't get her paws to move.

"Omega, what's wrong with them?" Yellow Bird cried. Omega finally was able to rush forward and press her ear against the two kits. Her heart cracked into two.

"I'm so sorry…" Omega whispered. "They're dead."

Yellow Bird's eyes widened and she screeched. "No! No, no, no, no! Why didn't you do anything? You just stood there, watching me, doing nothing! No… how could they be dead? You're an evil cat." As Yellow Bird started sobbing, Omega froze. Did she cause the kit's death? Just how many lives would she ruin again?


	2. Chapter 1: Horrible

Owl could not wait for his apprentice ceremony. His brown tabby fur fluffed up in excitement and his white tail was waving around in happiness. The clan was already starting to gather in the clearing.

Yellow Bird rushed him out of the nursery, frantically meowing, "Owl! Owl, your fur has to be groomed as quick as possible!" She started licking his head, flattening the tuft that always stood up when he woke up in the morning.

"Okay, okay!" Owl muttered, dancing away. "Come on, mum, I'll be late to my own ceremony!" Omega, the medicine cat, was sitting a little ways away. She was watching him fondly. Yellow Bird spotted Omega and narrowed her eyes. At that moment, Silver approached Omega with a nicely sized fish.

"Here, Omega, I caught this for you," Silver purred. Omega's eyes tore away from Owl's eyes and she nuzzled her sister's cheek.

"You're so sweet," Omega laughed. "Unfortunately, you wouldn't like it if I paid you back in my sour-tasting herbs."

Owl turned to his mother. "Hey, Yellow Bird? Do you have a sister? You never mentioned any cat that was a part of your family besides me before."

Yellow Bird sighs. "She was mauled by a fox. Probably eaten by buzzards, too. They never found her body," she explains sadly, "and this was a couple of seasons ago." Owl bowed his head.

"She's watching us from Starclan, then," Owl said softly. He looked up. Mudstar had walked out onto the Great Rock, his sleek dark brown pelt groomed until it lay flat and shiny. That reminded Owl to run a licked paw over his ears to smooth out his own fur. He stood tall and blinked at Yellow Bird. "Shall I go now then, mum?"

Yellow Bird purred with pride. "Wait until he announces it, young one." Owl nodded and looked around the clearing. Omega was staring at him again, this time with a wide, scared look in her eyes. Maybe she had overheard Yellow Bird talking about her sister. It was probably known as a tragedy in Riverclan. After all, foxes didn't like their marshy territory and rarely came into their land.

Finally, Mudstar lifted his head and let out a yowl, "Let all cats come here under the Great Rock!" Most of the clan was already gathered in the clearing in the middle of camp, but a few warriors came out of their dens, and two elders poked their heads out of the reeds they slept in. "Riverclan welcomes a new apprentice today. Owl, come forth." Owl walked on shaky paws through the center of the crowd of cats, heading straight for the Great Rock. Mudstar looked down at him with warm amber eyes and Owl felt less nervous. He hopped up the rock, avoiding the slippery areas, until he reached Mudstar's level. Owl was unusually small for his age- most Riverclan kits were big, with their thick, sleek fur and muscles from swimming the moment they opened their eyes- so his head wasn't even close to Mudstar's shoulder even on the tips of his toes.

"Owl, your new mentor is Silver!" Mudstar announced with a whisk of his thick black tail. Owl looked around and saw Omega's sister stride forward and jump onto the Great Rock with a single leap. Silver dipped her head at Mudstar respectfully then touched her nose to Owl's nose, leaning down so much to reach him that Owl burned in embarrassment.

"You'll be a great apprentice," Silver whispered reassuringly. Owl blinked at her in thanks.

The clan stood on all four paws and cheered loudly, "Owl! Owl! Owl! Owl!" Mudstar waved his tail for silence, and when everyone quieted down, he sat back on his haunches.

"Time for patrols! Rowan Leaf, my deputy, please organize them now," Mudstar told the ginger tabby tom sitting the closest to the Great Rock. Rowan Leaf nodded his head and the clan divided into different patrol groups. Owl awkwardly jumped off the rock with Silver close by.

"Okay, let's go hunting. You can explore the territory with the apprentices later," Silver said. "I'll ask Rowan Leaf to put us on a patrol with the other apprentices so you can get to know them at the same time." Silver flicked her silver striped tail and waited for Owl to reply.

"Oh, uh, sounds good," Owl said. He really wasn't looking forward to meeting the apprentices who would surely be three times his size.

"Cool. Why don't you go and check out your new denmates?" Silver suggested before running off to Rowan Leaf.

Owl shyly went to the apprentice's den, a large clump of rushes by a log. He spotted three apprentices behind the log. One she-cat and two toms. They were all so big! The she-cat was dark ginger with a white belly, paws, and tail. She had green eyes that sparkled as she laughed at one of the tom's jokes. The toms were brothers, Owl could tell, as they both had the same dark brown tabby fur and golden eyes, though one was smaller than the other.

"Hi," Owl said quietly. "I… I'm the new apprentice?" He said it like it was a question.

The dark ginger lifted her head. "Oh, hey, Owl! Welcome! Your nest is right there, by mine," she offered, flicking her tail at an empty mossy spot at the end of the log.

"Thanks," Owl said gratefully.

"I'm Sandy, by the way," the she-cat grinned. The bigger of the dark tabby toms lifted his chin.

"I'm Tiger Fang, and my brother is Panther," the big tom meowed in a rough voice. Panther dipped his head at Owl.

"Nice to meet you guys," Owl said, a slight tremor in his voice that he pushed away. He wondered if all apprentices were this nervous about becoming a warrior. He looked across the camp to where Silver was talking with Rowan Leaf and the rest of the mentors. "I think I have to go now."

"See you later," Panther meowed amiably.

"Yeah, we'll save you a fish for the sunhigh meal," Sandy chirped. She waved her tail around excitedly. She certainly was a cheerful cat.

"Thanks," Owl said with a small smile and he dashed back to Silver. He spotted his mother with Omega, yelling at her for some reason. Yellow Bird has always seemed angry around Omega. Owl pricked his ears up in curiosity since Silver was still chatting with Rowan Leaf. He walked up to Yellow Bird and Omega, overhearing their argument.

"How dare you congratulate me and my son for the apprentice ceremony?" Yellow Bird was hissing at Omega. "You were the one that killed my kits!"

Omega flattened her ears and backed toward the entrance of her den. "Yellow Bird, you're still not over that? I get it, losing your kits is very sad, and you might be affected for a long, long time but I may have some herbs-" Omega began gently.

Yellow Bird bristled and snapped, "Why are you talking to me like that? You think I'm weak?"

Omega shook her head. "Of course not, Yellow Bird. I'm just saying that death happens to queens more than you think it does. It's not good, but it's kind of common in the wild," Omega tried to explain. "It's been 6 moons-"

"Shut up!" Yellow Bird interrupted her again. "You're so horrible! My precious kits are dead because of you, and I'll never be the same again." Owl blinked in shock at his mother.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Owl whispered. Omega hadn't noticed him and jumped at the sight of him. Yellow Bird sighed and licked the top of his head.

"Omega killed your littermates, sweetie. She purposefully wasn't there while I was giving birth and she gave me the wrong herbs to make sure my kits didn't come out alive," Yellow Bird meowed, still shaking with fury and grief.

Omega started to protest, but Yellow Bird froze her with a fiery glare. Omega twitched her whiskers and ran into her den. "Now you go and train with your mentor, little beetle. Silver is a very gifted warrior, much more talented and caring than her sister," Yellow Bird purred, as if she had not been screaming a few moments ago.

"Oh… okay," Owl stammered, and padded toward Silver.

"Hey, Owl. Tiger Fang and his mentor Rabbit Ear are going to join us in hunting, okay?" Silver announced.

"Sure," Owl said. They walked away from their camp, into the forest.

"The river is in the middle of our territory. We catch most of our fish there," Silver explained as they walked. The birds chirping in the trees filled Owl's ears with beautiful sounds. He noticed the way the sunlight dappled each leaf of the bushes. Owl wondered which bushes had leaves that Omega used for her poultices. He tried sniffing out a couple that he could remember from his few visits to the medicine den. One time, when he was three moons old, he stepped on a splinter from a reed and Omega had spread something sharp-smelling on his paw pad. While Silver was explaining their territory and Rabbit Ear and Tiger Fang added extra comments about the different streams, Owl wasn't listening. Instead, he started searching for the same sharp scent. At last, he found it, right by the river. _Dock_ , he remembered. _Dock helps with minor cuts._

"Owl! Were you even listening?" Silver asked sharply. Owl blinked at her.

"What? Sorry," he mumbled in embarrassment. Tiger Fang was looking at him condescendingly, a sneer creeping across his mouth.

Silver sighed. "It's fine. It's your first day. I asked you- do you want to try fishing from land or in water? Mind you, water fishing is harder, but it'll feel better in this hot weather."

"Uh, I'll try the water fishing then. It _is_ hot," Owl said, only because he wanted to prove to Tiger Fang that he _was_ worthy.

"Okay. I'll show you how," Silver purred. Owl erased the dock herbs from his mind and made sure to carefully watch how Silver crouched down at the edge of the water. Her long silver fur lay flat and her muzzle stretched forward to search the clear waters for fish. Suddenly she leaped into the water, paws first, at an angle that allowed her to dive smoothly. Silver was submerged underwater for a few moments before she came back up holding a wriggling fish. She swam to the edge and climbed out of the river before killing the fish on a stone. "There," Silver said with a grin.

"Wow! How did you dive like that?" Owl asked in awe. Silver flicked her tail.

"First you have to crouch down at the edge, then watch for a fish. But let's practice your dive first, so you can perfect it before catching an actual fish," Silver told Owl. She turned to Rabbit Ear and added, "You two can hunt here for a while before I come back with Owl." Tiger Fang eagerly crouched at the river's edge with Rabbit Ear. Silver lead Owl to a deeper, calmer part of the river downstream.

"Try crouching," Silver suggested. Owl immediately walked up to the river and bunched his muscles. He kept his hind legs carefully tucked underneath him and his forepaws stretched forward.

"Am I doing it right?" Owl asked hopefully.

Silver chuckled. "Not quite. If you wanted to try leaping across the river, not that any cat could ever possibly do that, that crouch would be perfect. But the river is a whisker-length in front of you. Try a crouch that would give you speed and agility for a dive." Owl tried again, and Silver praised him. "Okay, now leap into the water with your paws first. If you forget your paws, then your nose will hit the water and it will hurt horribly. Once you hit the water, loosen your body and immediately reach for the fish. Don't try to kill it underwater because you'll run the risk of it slipping out of your paws and swimming away," Silver instructed.

Owl took a deep breath and nodded. "Should I just dive right in? Should I aim for something, for practice? How deep is the river?"

"Yeah. Try aiming for that pebble on the river bottom. Can you see it? The river is deep enough for a dive, so go right ahead when you do."

Owl squinted at the water's surface. The shimmering, moving reflection of the sky made it hard to see the bottom but he made out a flash of grayish-blue which he decided was the pebble. "Yup. Do I go now? What if I mess up and hit the water the wrong way?"

"Stop doubting yourself and go," Silver urged gently.

Owl tingled with embarrassment. _I just want to get it right,_ he thought to himself. He crouched down and dove into the water. His paws hit the water first, but the timing was all wrong, causing a large splash. Nevertheless, Owl clamped his mouth shut right before he went in all the way. His eyes flew open and he, holding his breath, searched for the pebble in the river. A wall of bubbles from his awkward landing rose up and they tickled his nose. When he could finally see, the small brown tabby tom struggled to keep himself floating at the bottom of the river because he was so light and didn't have strong muscles. He twisted into the right position again and Owl finally found the pebble and grasped it between his two paws. Owl's lungs started to ache. He held the pebble in his mouth, swam up, and gulped a huge breath of air. Owl spat the pebble out onto land and dragged himself out of the river.

"I know I messed up the dive," Owl admitted. He shook out his dripping fur- he hated the way it clung to his skin all sticky and sloppy.

"That's fine- no one gets it on their first try," Silver encouraged, and they tried the dive again. But Owl never did get the dive straight until the sixteenth try, and when he did, he missed the pebble by two fox-lengths. He failed miserably and they walked back to camp without Rabbit Ear or Tiger Fang, with no fish at all.

"I'm sorry I failed at the dive," Owl told Silver, burning with shame. They had entered the camp and Silver was about to give Mudstar the apprentice report. This was required for all new apprentices. For at least a moon, to make sure the apprentice was doing well, the mentor would describe the talents and struggles of the apprentice and what skills they had worked on for the day.

"It's fine," Silver said comfortingly. "We'll try battle skills this afternoon. Maybe you'll have a skill for that. No one is good at _everything_." She nodded to the freshkill pile. "Go and eat something. You must be hungry. Your apprentices are still out patrolling, so you can just go to the den and have some peace."

"Thank you," Owl mumbled, and watched Silver go into Mudstar's den under the Great Rock. He tried to fight his curiosity but he couldn't help but sneak over to the rock and eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Greetings, Mudstar," Silver was saying. Owl crept behind the rock and pressed his ear to the stone. The voices didn't go through so he sneaked around and tried to get away with listening by the opening of his den.

"Good morning, Silver. How was Owl today?" Mudstar's deep voice boomed.

"Owl shows great potential," Silver began slowly, and Owl held his breath, "but his size might cause some problems. I know it's not his fault that he was born early and a runt, but today he could not balance during his dive and could not do anything during hunting practice." Owl winced at the 'could not do anything' part. He sighed and turned away from the Great Rock. Oh well. He couldn't do anything about his small size. Owl thought about the dock leaves he had found on his way to the river. He trotted to Omega's medicine den.

The den was lit by a soft light coming from a tiny hole in the cave's roof. Omega was sorting through her herbs.

"Excuse me, Omega?" Owl said quietly. He padded toward her.

Omega looked up. "Oh, hello, Owl," she said cautiously.

"Sorry about my mother," he blurted.

Omega blinked. "No, it's nothing. What do you want?" she asked, not unkindly.

"Just… I found some dock leaves in the forest. Are you running short on them?" Owl asked. Omega looked at her stores.

"Wow! Just in time, Owl. I was about to go looking for them," Omega purred.

"I know where they are," Owl purred back. "I'll get them for you. You need two bundles, right? Since it's about three leaves per cat and if you calculate the moons…."

Omega seemed surprised that Owl knew that. "Well, go ahead, then, Owl. You're quite smart for your age."

"Thanks!" Owl said. He ran out, got the dock leaves, and ran back.

"Here," Owl offered the leaves. He'd returned quicker than he'd expected himself to- he remembered the dock leaf patch quite clearly.

Omega smiled. "Thank you, little one." She put the herbs in their spot. Owl looked closely at her. She seemed normal. She was sweet and honest and kind. Why would she ever kill kits on purpose? Owl's curiosity got to the best of him, again, and he opened his mouth, a question already in his mind.

"Is it true you killed my sisters?" Owl demanded. He sat back on his haunches. Omega looked up from her herbs, her whiskers twitching in alarm.

"What did your mother tell you?" Omega asked slowly. She nervously licked her chest.

"She never really mentioned it to me when I asked about my littermates before, but that was when she was still grieving. Today, she seemed really angry and out of her mind. She claimed that you stood by and let my littermates die," Owl explained.

Omega blinked. She seemed to think over something before she stammered, "Y-yes, I did. I couldn't do anything. I let your sisters die, Owl. I'm so sorry." Owl couldn't believe it. Omega was actually admitting it. He never knew his sisters, but he still felt an empty, gaping hole inside.

Owl bowed his head. "Okay. Thanks for telling me," Owl said quietly, his voice as hard as steel.

Omega looked very guilty, her amber eyes a frail glaze of sorrow. "I'm sorry, Owl. I really couldn't stop the death."

"You could've done something!" Owl protested angrily. "You could've given Yellow Bird herbs, or something. Doesn't raspberry leaf help?" Omega looked shocked.

"How do you know what raspberry leaves do?" she asked cautiously.

"Never mind that! Why didn't you give her raspberry leaves?" Owl hissed, getting slightly frustrated.

Omega lowered her head. "I panicked. I couldn't help it," she murmured.

"A good medicine cat should remain calm at all times, wouldn't you think? A good medicine cat should learn to think quickly on their paws!" Owl spat, and turned on his heel and stalked away. He hated how Omega acted so weak and sorry for herself. He hated how Omega made his mother mad. He wanted Omega to be stronger. Owl himself wanted to be stronger.

It was past sunhigh and Owl had eaten already. It turned out that Sandy and Panther had eaten on their border patrol so they didn't eat with him, and Owl could care less about Tiger Fang. Disappointed, Owl ate alone under the log until Silver called him for battle trainng. Owl reluctantly stood up, gave himself a quick wash, and trotted out of the camp, hopping over the thin stream that surrounded their clearing.

"So I thought we would do some water moves today. Since our only enemy are the many small groups of rogues that live in the rest of the forest, we can easily beat them by leading them toward water," Silver explained to Owl as soon as they arrived at the river.

"I thought the rogue groups were friendly," Owl countered.

"Many of them are, but some can be hostile," Silver corrected. "There was an attack not many seasons ago, when Omega and I were just apprentices. But we're not here for stories, so let's get started." She nodded toward the water.

"Why don't you warm up your swimming skills while we wait until Sandy and her mentor Raindrop get here?" Silver asked.

Owl's heart immediately sunk. He was going to be training with another apprentice? That meant more humiliation! Owl slid into the water, his paws slipping over the round pebbles lining the river. At least he could swim well. It took longer for him to be able to swim as fast as the other kits because of his size and weakness, but in the end he was ahead of everyone else.

Owl held his breath and ducked under, his paws strongly paddling against the current of the river. Owl dove to the bottom, whirled around, and opened his eyes underwater. The water was clear, tinted blue-green, and he saw some minnows that flitted away when he reached forward with a paw. Owl became relaxed, filled with peace. Water was his home. If he could hold his breath longer, Owl would stay for hours, floating and drifting along the bottom of the river. This was unusual because as much as Riverclan cats loved water, they wouldn't want to be completely submerged underwater for more than they needed to. As Owl's breath ran out, he kicked swiftly with his paws until his nose broke the surface of the water and he breathed in. Just in time, because Sandy and Raindrop had arrived. Raindrop was older than Silver and very experienced and wise. She was a good match for Sandy, whose bubbly, over enthusiastic, and extremely impulsive personality needed to be cooled down by a rational-minded person.

"Hey there!" Sandy piped up. Owl padded out of the water and smiled.

"Hi," he said shyly. Raindrop nodded at him and he nodded awkwardly back.

"Okay, so I will demonstrate the sweeping defense move with Raindrop," Silver announced. She slid into the cool water and Raindrop followed. Silver and Raindrop batted at each other for a moment before Silver ducked underwater so quickly that Raindrop stumbled as she swiped her paw into thin air. Silver then lashed out her paw, connecting with the back of Raindrop's forepaws, and Raindrop fell into the river. Silver jumped up and held Raindrop underwater for a moment before letting her back up. "That should be the easiest move you'll learn so far," Silver told Owl. "Why don't you try it with Sandy?"

Owl shivered. He would definitely screw it up. Silver and Raindrop moved out of the water to give Sandy and Owl room. Owl slowly got into the water and faced Sandy. The sun lit up her ginger fur and the brightness made it hard to see, so he squinted his green eyes. Before Owl could take a breath, Sandy launched herself at him, her paws outstretched toward his muzzle. Owl frantically ducked, his paws slipping on the stones, and he staggered forward. Sandy landed with a splash behind him and Owl turned around. Now the sun wasn't in his eyes so he relaxed and studied his opponent. Sandy was a good amount taller than him, and much more muscular, too. Her lean, tight muscles rippled under her sleek, thick pelt. Her long legs would grant her speed. Strength and speed… _Starclan help me!_ Owl thought. Owl would have to be very sneaky to-

"Attack!" Sandy squealed, and leaped at him again. Owl hastily slid to the side and let Sandy crash to the water again. Owl knew this was his chance. He took a deep breath and dipped his body underwater. He opened his eyes and lashed out his paw to Sandy's legs. Sandy buckled on top of him and Owl just managed to swim out of the way. But suddenly Sandy leaped back onto him, and Owl spit out all the air in his mouth in his surprise. Bubbles spewed out of his nostrils. Sandy started battering him and holding him under. Owl's lungs ached for breath. Desperately, he tried shoving her off but couldn't. Finally, Raindrop dragged Sandy off, and Owl weakly floated up where he coughed and hacked and choked out water. He was so embarrassed.

"Are you okay?" Silver asked gently. Raindrop was reprimanding Sandy for being too rough on Owl. All she did was copy the move. She did nothing wrong.

Owl coughed and nodded shakily. "Yeah. I-I'm fine! Sandy didn't do anything wrong, Silver. It was me. I'm too small to be a warrior!" Owl cried, looking down.

Silver opened her mouth to say something but Owl was already running away. He hated his size. He knew he was unusually small, but if it got in the way of his training, what would he do?


	3. Chapter 2: Belong

Omega gathered some herbs in the forest. She was thinking about the way she lied to Owl about her killing the kits on purpose. She was so scared and didn't want Yellow Bird to be more angry than she was. Omega thought how strange it was that Owl was interested in herbs, and knew two herbs already without anyone telling him. He certainly was a fast learner. Would he make a good medicine cat? Probably. Maybe he could take her place. She didn't deserve to be one. She didn't know why she didn't deserve to be one, but she had to remember sometime. Hopefully sometime soon.

A half moon later, Omega was getting ready for her half-moon trip to the Star Hill, the tallest landmark in the forest that was close to the sky and stars. She would sleep there and dream with Starclan.

"Omega," someone's voice called. Omega turned and saw Owl standing awkwardly at her entrance.

"Hello, Owl," Omega said nervously. Did Owl come to question her more about the death of his littermates?

"Hi," Owl dipped his head. "I have a question. Can I talk to you in private?"

Omega looked out of the den. No one was around, and the medicine den was pretty private. "Talk here," she said, flicking her tail.

Owl padded inside and smiled shyly. "I… I wanted to ask you… if you could teach me some herbs. In your free time. And my free time. I'm just not fitting well with the other apprentices and I can't… I can't hunt or fight like them. It's mostly because of my size, but…" Owl trailed off, looking sad. "I just don't belong," he finished.

Omega looked at him closely. "Why would you want to learn about herbs?"

"I really like herbs. I study them instead of looking for prey- it's a habit that annoyed Silver very much today. I think about how I would heal someone's wound instead of inflicting one during battle training. It's distracting, really, but I feel like I have to… I don't know. Don't laugh at me. I want to become a medicine cat," Owl blurted. He glanced at Omega anxiously. "Sorry, I know you have to get somewhere… right?"

Omega nodded briskly. "That's right. I'm going to the Star Hill. I've got to reach there by moonhigh. If you want… you can talk to me more outside…?"

Owl brightened up. "That would be great! I'll just say I'm going to practice hunting land animals, then."

Omega nodded. She felt slightly guilty making Owl lie to his mentor. But then again, it was his decision in the first place. She smiled. Maybe she could train Owl… then she could die. If she joined Starclan, surely she would get her memories back? Starclan was where all cats found peace, and Omega would be at peace if she knew the truth.

Owl went off to lie to his mentor, Omega's sister. Omega lapped up her traveling herbs and said goodbye to Mudstar, who was talking to Rowan Leaf near the medicine den.

"I'm off to the Star Hill now," Omega told Mudstar. Mudstar flicked his long, thick black tail.

"Take care," he rumbled. Omega dipped her head at him, then at Rowan Leaf, then padded out of the camp. Before she was out of sight of the camp, she turned to see where Owl was. Owl was talking to his mentor, his head down. Omega wondered why he was so sad about practicing hunting. She paused long enough for Owl to look up and spot her. Owl gave her the tiniest nod of his head, gesturing her to go on. Omega gave a tiny nod back and left the camp. The night was warm and the air was sticky and humid. Crickets sang their late night songs under the half-moon, loud and clear. Omega lifted her head high as she trotted through the undergrowth, her fur prickling. Something about this setting, her walking alone through a dark forest at night to go to a special place with someone else, made her feel nervous. Like she'd been in this situation before. Omega stumbled over a small log as another memory flashed through her mind. This one was different. She was actually in the memory, looking through the eyes of herself in the past. She could control herself and think in this one.

 _Omega looked down at her paws. They were smaller and the fur looked fluffier and softer. Like a kitten's pelt. Was she a kit again? She must have just been apprenticed, by the looks of herself. What in the name of Starclan happened? Omega looked around anxiously. Where was Owl? Did he manage to convince Silver? Suddenly a large dark gray tom about the age of a warrior slithered through a bush and stopped in front of her. It was midnight, and the half moon illuminated the tom's fur._

 _"Omega," the dark gray tom growled. "What are you doing here?"_

 _Omega wanted to scream. It was a rogue! How did he know her name? Was he the one who caused her trauma? Was he the one who ruined everything? But instead, the words that came out of her mouth were a different cat's words. She realized that she was in the body of who she was in the past, and the past Omega was speaking. Her past voice was slighter higher and surprisingly more confident."Hello, Mallow. I wanted to see you. I had to sneak away from Riverclan because I hate it there. I like to be with you." Omega's past self sounded so… in love, foolish._

 _The dark gray tom- Mallow?- relaxed. His deep amber eyes glowed. Omega noticed he was incredibly handsome. Mallow purred, "Then we'll be together, if that's what makes you happy."_

 _Omega's past self said, "_ You _are_ _what makes me happy. That's why I wanted to agree to your offer. We've known each other for only a moon, but I like you a lot. If you promise that you will make me belong, I will help you and your rogue friends."_

 _Mallow's gorgeous amber eyes narrowed. "Really? Do you promise? Because you'll have to give up something."_

 _"Anything, Mallow," Omega's past self purred. "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you."_ Ugh, _Omega thought,_ what was I thinking back then? Why would I want to talk to a rogue in the first place?

 _Mallow lifted his head. "The reason you don't belong is because you are smarter than your fellow apprentices. You have a natural instinct to think. You just think, think, and think all the time. Am I right? Do the others make fun of you because of this?" he tilted his head to one side sympathetically._ Don't believe him! _Omega wanted to shout at her past self._

 _"Yes," Omega's past self said sadly, "they call me the stuck-up apprentice. They make fun of how I have to know more than my mentor does, and I've only been an apprentice for two moons! They make me ashamed for being smarter, and I hate it, Mallow. I hate my intelligence. I want to be normal."_

 _Mallow scowled. "_ Don't _hate your intelligence! It's who you are! That is why you must give up training as a warrior apprentice. You shall become a medicine cat, and hone your quick thinking and wisdom." His flame-colored eyes sparkled with pride. "You can be yourself as a medicine cat, Omega. You are a special cat."_

 _Omega frowned. So this was how she became a medicine cat. By agreeing to a strange cat's offer. How weird. Her past self meowed in determination, "If you really think so. I'll try to convince Mudstar and the medicine cat, Delta. But… I'm the best fighter Riverclan has. Don't you think I should keep defending my clan?"_

 _"Don't you want to be closer to Starclan? You can defend your clan that way. Seek guidance from the stars. I know I've always wanted to see my ancestor's spirits," Mallow said wistfully. "Do this for me, Omega. Please." He smiled a little, coaxing an answer out of her._

 _Omega's past self nodded. "Alright. Just for you, Mallow, okay?" After a pause, Omega's past self added, "Why don't you join Riverclan? Being alone in the forest everyday must be lonely." She blinked hopefully._

 _Mallow's gaze darkened. "I have my friends, Omega, and you have yours. It's been this way since forever."_

 _"Aren't I your friend too?" Omega's past self protested. "I though I was important to you!"_

 _"Of course. You're my very best friend. And that's why I'm asking you to agree with my plan. I want to help your clan, Omega. And I can help them by proposing a joint leadership with Mudstar. We will lead your clan together," Mallow purred, swishing his thick silver tail._

Omega's memory ended and she woke up with a gasp. Owl was next to her, looking on the verge of tears. "Omega! What happened? You just… you just collapsed when I got here, and you weren't breathing at all!" Owl gasped. Omega stood up, stumbling on her paws. She had just relived a memory! Who was Mallow? Was he still alive? He looked very young, even though he seemed older than Omega by a few moons.

"I… I got a flashback, is all," Omega lied. She was shaking. "I'm fine now. Let's go."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Owl asked. He narrowed his green eyes.

"Yup. I'm fine!" Omega said way too brightly. When Owl looked at her again with that annoying look of concern in his eyes, Omega fixed him with a glare and started walking in the direction of Star Hill. They traveled a long time in an awkward silence before Owl finally said something.

"So… why are you exactly agreeing to mentor me in the ways of a medicine cat?" Owl questioned.

"I didn't exactly agree yet," Omega pointed out with a flick of her tail. "But now I agree. And I agree because I think you're special. You would make a better medicine cat than me." And she left it at that before the string surge of guilt swept through her body every time she thought of what she did. What _did_ she do? She still had to find out, and Starclan wasn't telling her anything. She bristled at the thought of Starclan. They refused to help _everyone_. Apparently Omega had become a medicine cat apprentice to be closer to her ancestors, but they weren't any closer than they were when she was a warrior apprentice!

"Wait, so you're actually agreeing? Even if my mother blames you for my sisters' deaths?" Owl asked with disbelief. "You're, like, enemies with her or something."

Omega winced. That was true, and she hated it. She knew it was some kind of sadness or anger issue that made Yellow Bird this way, and she wanted to help her through her grief, but Yellow Bird stayed stubborn and furious. Besides, Omega didn't know of any herbs that would heal a cat's heart or mind. "We're not exactly enemies, Owl, so don't tell your mother that," Omega said carefully. "But we are in a sort of… conflict, to put it lightly. Your mother is just still grieving and her way of grieving is blaming and being angry at someone who makes the most sense to be mad at."

"Can't you help her? I mean, she's not always angry or sad, but when she is, it's kind of hard to cool down," Owl murmured.

"I don't have any herbs that heal sorrow, unfortunately. Hopefully time will heal her heart," Omega said. She looked around the forest, recognizing the small stream flowing between two thick swathes of blueberry bushes. "We're almost there," she added.

"Great!" Owl purred excitedly.

They started climbing up a grassy slope, weaving through dark gray boulders that jutted out of the ground. "When we get to the top of the Star Hill, I'm going to dream with Starclan. They won't speak to anyone unless they are a medicine cat, a leader, or someone they have to talk to for important reasons, so you can just take a nap while I dream, okay?" Omega instructed Owl. Owl nodded, stumbling as the slope steepened.

"How far up is this hill?" Owl wondered out loud.

"Pretty high. Remember, it's the closest point to the stars in this forest," Omega pointed out. They climbed and climbed some more and when they finally reached the top of the hill, they could see nearly all of the forest through the trees. The hill they were standing on was more like a rounded cliff, overlooking everything else. The moon shone brightly, directly above them. "All right, I'll be done soon," Omega said, settling down on a patch of moss on the hill.

"Okay. I'll be here," Owl meowed, sitting next to her. Omega smiled slightly and closed her eyes, falling asleep with the light of the stars on her back.

Immediately, Omega felt the familiar tingling feeling run through her body and she opened her eyes to a new world of starry cats. She stood and stretched, spotting Mistystar, the ancient leader that lead the first Riverclan cats here to this forest after the tragedy. Mistystar's silver tabby pelt sparkled with light and her blue eyes were narrowed.

"Greetings, Omega," Mistystar meowed. She dipped her head and Omega dipped her head back in respect.

"Hello, Mistystar. It's good to see you. Do you have any advice for me?" Omega asked, adding the second part silently in her mind: _And do you have any memories for me?_

As if Mistystar had read her mind, the powerful gray she-cat lifted her chin and said, "I cannot give you your memories back yet. It is your mission to find them through your heart."

"What does that mean?" Omega frowned. "I don't remember anything!" She lashed her tail in frustration, ready to give up on Starclan's power if they didn't give her memory back to her.

Mistystar sighed. "I'll tell you everything you need to know later. Until then, Owl needs to be trained as a medicine cat."

"So I really should train him secretly?" Omega asked in surprise. She hadn't expected Starclan to approve.

"If you want your memories, you'll have to do exactly that," Mistystar said solemnly.

"But… how will training Owl get my memories back?" Omega countered. "Owl has nothing to do with the things I know I did but can't remember."

Mistystar lashed her tail. Her eyes glowed as she said firmly, "Owl will help you in a way you'll never expect. So it's your choice. Just train him and we'll see how it goes from there."

"And if training him doesn't work?" Omega challenged Mistystar. "Owl actually wants to be a medicine cat- I can tell. If your plan doesn't work, I can't just say to him that he can go back to being a warrior apprentice. That would crush him."

"Then don't do anything wrong," Mistystar said.

Omega hated how vague Mistystar was being. "I don't even know what's right anymore!"

"Yes you do. Like I said, search for it in your heart. Your heart will always do good, Omega, remember that," Mistystar purred, and disappeared into a swirl of star-speckled mist.

"Is that it? Come back!" Omega yowled, looking around in exasperation. "Mistystar… help me, please!." There was no answer. Omega guessed their meeting was over and, with a long sigh, curled up and closed her eyes.

She woke up in the living world and found Owl in the same spot, watching her with wide eyes.

"Hi," Owl said shyly.

Omega yawned and stood up. "Hey," she replied. "Guess what? Starclan approves, but we have to keep it a secret."

"The training?" Owl grinned, lashing his tail delightedly.

"What else? Of course, the training! I guess we can get started right now. I'll only be able to evaluate how many herbs you know so far because you have to get back before someone notices; but that's enough for now," Omega purred, deciding not to spoil this young cat's happiness.

"Thank you so much, Omega! You don't know how much this means to me," Owl said earnestly.

"No problem," Omega mumbled. "Okay, let's go down this hill and look at some herbs in the forest below. Sound good?"

"Yep!" Owl bounced giddily down the hill from rock to rock, his tabby fur fluffed out like a kit's. Omega felt a rush of amusement and laughed at his excitement. She followed him more slowly down.

By the time they reached the edge of Riverclan territory, the moon was lowering in the sky. "Okay," Omega said, stopping near the border. "What herbs do you know?"

Owl tipped his head to one side. "Dock for scratches and infections, coltsfoot for breathing, marigold for infections, borage for fever or helping a queen produce more milk, raspberry leaf to relieve pain especially during birth, feverfew for fever, and tansy for coughs."

Omega was impressed. "Wow, did you learn that all by yourself?"

"Um, yeah," Owl said in embarrassment. "I observe a lot of things. Like when one time I pricked my paw on a reed and saw the herbs you gave me. Then when I went hunting today, I remembered the scents of the herbs I found along my way and learned what they were called and what they do."

"You have an impressive ability, Owl," Omega said. "Since you know a lot already, can we continue tomorrow? Just find me whenever you're free, okay? You've got to rest for your warrior training tomorrow." They started over the border and back to their camp.

"Sure, Omega," Owl said happily. "This means the world to me, you know?"


	4. Chapter 3: Swept

Owl woke up the next day to the sound of Silver meowing, "Battle training, Owl!" He opened his eyes with a groan. _Ugh_ , he thought, _my muscles hurt so much from last night's long walk._

"Do we have to?" he whined, sitting up and grooming himself hastily. Silver shot him a look from outside the den.

"Why are you so lazy?" she teased, flicking her tail.

Owl smirked. "Fine, then. Let's train." He padded out of the apprentices den and passed Sandy and Tiger Fang who were sharing a fish by the log.

"Panther and Sunfish are already at the training hollow. You slept quite late," Silver told Owl. He self-consciously licked his chest fur.

"Sorry," Owl mumbled. They passed Omega's den and he longingly stared at the piles of herbs Omega was sorting out in the morning sunlight. _Later_ , he promised himself. _Now, I've got to beat Panther in a fight._ Silver lead the way to the hollow and when they got there, Owl's stomach rumbled embarrassingly loudly. Panther smiled knowingly; Owl was so hungry.

The training hollow was near camp, surrounded by bushes and a few pine trees. A small stream ran near by. The ground was soft with sand, and all sharp sticks and stones were removed from the clearing.

Sunfish padded forward, his amber eyes gleaming. "Panther has been an apprentice much longer than you, Owl, but we will try an advanced move. Is that all right?"

Owl stared at the tom, stunned. "But- but I didn't even… I didn't succeed in yesterday's training." His pelt burned with shame and embarrassment, but Panther shot him a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, Owl," Panther meowed. "We're fighting on land this time."

Silver stepped forward. "Yes," she agreed, her eyes sparkling, "Riverclan don't always fight in the water. Most rogues fight on land, and we'll need land moves to beat them. Land fighting might be different for you, okay? Just try!" Her encouraging words nearly convinced Owl that he would be okay, but he still felt a prickle of doubt.

Sunfish flicked his tail at Panther. "Panther will stand here, and you, Owl, will leap at him. When you jump, try to jump as high as you can, and land behind Panther. Panther will whirl around in surprise, but before that you'll swipe at his legs and tail, and when Panther turns, roll sideways while clawing his fur." He nodded at Panther, who hastily got into position.

Owl blinked, suddenly very nervous. He crouched down, and saw out of the corner of his eye Silver beaming at him hopefully. He couldn't let her down. He let her down enough, on the first day of training. Owl bunched his muscles and leaped as far as he could over Panther. Panther reared up, trying to tackle Owl midair, but Owl landed just in time to escape Panther's paws. Owl turned sharply and swiped Panther's haunches as Panther spun around to face Owl. Panther growled and lunged forward with outstretched paws, battering Owl's muzzle. Owl winced; although their claws were sheathed, the sheer force of Panther's attack hurt. Owl rolled, remembering Sunfish's words. Panther immediately changed the course of his attack and raked his paws down Owl's exposed belly.

"Pause!" Sunfish called. Owl sat up, shaking the dust from his ruffled pelt. He looked away from Silver, knowing that he'd failed once again. Panther stood straight, licking the grains of sand from his claws.

Silver nodded at Panther. "Your strategy was very good. I'm impressed." That made Owl cringe even more. She turned her blue gaze on Owl. "As for you, I'm impressed as well. Panther, as Sunfish said, is an experienced apprentice. You did what Sunfish told you and tried your best."

Owl couldn't help snorting in disgust with himself. "Yeah, right," he blurted. "I'm terrible at this!"

Sunfish blinked at him. "Owl, you shouldn't criticize yourself too hard. You've been an apprentice for only a half moon, maybe a little less."

"Right," Panther agreed with a flick of his tail. "You shouldn't be hard on yourself." He smiled kindly, but Owl was frustrated.

"I know I'm hopeless!" Owl exclaimed. "Last night, Tiger Fang boasted that he caught three fish on his first try on his first day as an apprentice. Sandy told me yesterday that she beat Vine Claw when he was an apprentice, and now he's one of Riverclan's best fighters. Don't tell me that it's only been a half moon! It won't comfort me." Silver opened her mouth to say something, but Owl ran from he training hollow, squeezing his eyes shut. He knew his unsuccessfulness was because of his weak, tiny form. Before he knew it, Owl found himself in Omega's den.

"Owl!" Omega said. "Are you here for training?" She looked closely at Owl's face. "Are you crying?"

Owl didn't realize he'd been crying. "No," he lied. "And yes, I'm here for training." He blinked quickly to get rid of the tears.

Omega nodded. "Okay. But first, we need an excuse for you to be here."

"How about you say that I sprained my paw during battle training? The mentors will believe it."

"Okay. Come here- we might as well start training with this." Omega had Owl sit down on a moss nest. She grabbed a strong, sturdy stick and laid it next to Owl's right front foot. Omega rummaged in the back of her den for nettle leaves and river reeds, and chewed up the nettle into a poultice before applying it to Owl's foot. She used the thick, dry river reeds to tie the stick to Owl's foot. She looked up. "Now. What did I do and why did I do it?"

"Uh…" Owl examined his foot. "The stick to splint my foot so it doesn't move and make my sprain worse. The nettle to… either relieve the pain or reduce the swelling. And the reeds to secure the stick to my foot." He glanced at Omega.

She looked pleasantly surprised. "Very well done! Okay, now you've got to act like you're in pain while I bring some herbs for you to study. No one will know that I'm teaching you if they come in- they'll just think I'm making a poultice out of many herbs."

"Thanks, Omega. You're the best," Owl found himself meowing. Omega blinked, then smiled.

Soon enough, Silver came crashing through the reeds that grew outside the medicine den. Her fur was fluffed up and she was panting. "Owl!" she said. "Are you all right? I'm so sorry about training, I-"

"Silver," Omega interrupted, stepping forward. "Owl has a sprained paw, and I am still treating him."

Silver looked at her sister, then exhaled slowly. "Okay." The silver tabby turned to look at Owl, regret shining in her blue eyes. "Owl, I never should have agreed to let you do that advanced move."

Owl tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Yeah, no, it's fine," he lied.

"You're sure you're okay?" Silver pressed on, visibly concerned for Owl.

Owl nodded, forcing a bright grin onto his face. "I know I'm new as an apprentice, and I'll get better eventually," he mewed, trying not to wince as he told the lie.

Omega held up a pawful of herbs. "Silver, I know you're worried, but could you please step out while I give these to Owl?"

Silver dipped her head. "Of course. Feel better, Owl." She left the den, and Omega pushed the herbs toward Owl.

"Do you know what these do?" Omega questioned.

Owl studied them. They had small white flowers. "I've seen them in the forest, but I don't know…"

"That's fine. These are feverfew. They cool down a cat's fever," Omega explained. She nudged them aside and pulled a clump of bluish purple berries forward. "And these?"  
Owl was relieved. Confidently, he said, "Juniper berries. They give you strength and ease stomachaches." Omega nodded and lined up a few more herbs.

Owl rattled off the names and properties of the herbs like he'd been training as a medicine cat for moons. Even _he_ was surprised at his knowledge. Maybe he'd been paying attention and observing more than he thought, probably when he was a kit and was bored all the time. "Marigold for infections, water mint for stomachaches, coltsfoot for breathing, borage for fever and to help queens give birth, and yarrow for small cuts or to make a cat throw up."

Omega sat back on her haunches, her amber eyes wide. "Wow!" She swiped the herbs back into their places by the cave wall with a few deft flicks of her paw. "You're a really special cat, Owl."

Owl warmed at the praise. "Thank you, Omega," he purred, feeling for the first time ever that he could do something for his clan. He tipped his head to one side. "Hey, all this training… what will it do? I mean, for the clan, since they don't know about this."

Omega flicked her tail. "The time will come. If I ever need to be replaced, you will be the perfect cat." Her eyes darkened and glistened for a moment.

"What do you mean, replaced?"

Omega shook her head. "Don't worry about it. In a few moons' time, you tell me if this is really where your passion lies, and I will ask Mudstar about you officially becoming an apprentice."

Owl insisted, "This is my passion! I… I'm good at this. If I do this for the rest of my life, I can give back to my clan and not be a failure."

Omega dipped her head kindly. "I'm sure of that, Owl, but… my sister, Silver…"

"I'll try my best and try not to disappoint her. Oh, but she'll be hurt, won't she? I mean, I've only been her apprentice for literally two days, but… I care about her feelings. I'm her first apprentice ever!" Owl murmured guiltily.

"Why don't you go get some fresh kill and assure Silver that you'll be fine. Tell her you need to be confined in camp for two days, and, for Starclan's sake, act like your paw is killing you!" Omega nudged Owl forward, and he grinned before limping heavily outside.

Omega swept her plumy brown tail over the cave floor, clearing it of herb scraps. It was about sun-high, so she padded out of her den, brushing between the damp reeds that grew around her den. Omega grabbed a carp from the pile of fish in the center of the camp and settled down with it near the fresh kill pile.

"Omega!" Yellowbird was suddenly at her side just as Omega leaned forward to take a bite out of the plump, yummy looking fish. The pale ginger shecat's green eyes were glittering with hatred. "I have a headache. Fix it for me, will you?"

Omega bit back a sigh and pushed aside the fish. "What have you been doing today?" she inquired.

Yellowbird scowled. "I don't know. Hunting," she replied brusquely. "It hurts, so will you make it stop?"

Calmly, Omega meowed, "First I have to figure out what is causing it. Compare the pain of your headache to something else."

Yellowbird tilted her head. "A rock is constantly bashing against me."

Omega was worried. "All right… do you feel sick? Have you been coughing or sneezing?"

"No," Yellowbird said.

Omega started walking to her den. "Come with me." She left the fish there and Yellowbird trotted behind her. Yellowbird slumped down on a patch of moss in the den. "Does it hurt badly when you move?"

"Yes," Yellowbird panted, squeezing her eyes shut. Then she suddenly snapped, "Don't just stand there and do nothing, like you did when I was kitting!" Her eyes flew open and they were a blaze of angry fire.

Omega flinched. "I'm assessing the situation, thinking of how I can treat you," she explained mildly. She blinked back tears, images of the two dead kits floating into her mind. She then walked over to the ginger shecat, pressing her nose to Yellowbird's head.

"Ouch!" Yellowbird gasped, jerking her head away.

Omega backed away. "How have you been sleeping?"

Yellowbird shrugged. "Why do you want to know?"

"I want to see if you are in good health or not," Omega said patiently. Her stomach growled, and she longed for that fish.

Yellowbird sighed. "Not too well. I keep waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep. And I find it hard to fall asleep in the first place anyway." She looked uncomfortable sharing her weaknesses with her nemesis.

Omega looked through her storage of herbs, pawing through borage and juniper. She finally got to chamomile, known for soothing a cat's nerves, and feverfew, to help with headaches. She stripped the leaves from their stems and turned toward Yellowbird. "Is your appetite okay?"  
Yellowbird confessed, "Some days I have none at all, and others, I eat too much. I don't think that's normal."

Omega rummaged through her herbs and found sorrel, to help balance a cat's appetite. "Okay, Yellowbird. These herbs will help with your headache, appetite, and to soothe you to make it easy to rest."

"Thanks," Yellowbird muttered reluctantly. She lapped up the herbs and promptly got up to leave.

"Come back if anything happens!" Omega called after her.

Yellowbird hissed, "I'm strong. I'll be better. I don't need your help anymore after this, you know that, right?" Then she disappeared. Omega knew Yellowbird must have been feeling pretty physically terrible to push aside her grudges and come to Omega for help.

Omega padded outside and sat down to eat her fish. She was glad for the peace, the quiet bustling of the Riverclan camp, the cool breeze that ruffled her fur, the gentle flowing of the small stream that ran along the edge of the camp. The stream… her ears pricked suddenly, and Omega shivered. She remembered…

 _Omega looked around. She wasn't in the Riverclan camp anymore; she was in a dark, marshy place filled with strong-smelling pine trees. A muddy stream ran through the camp, leading out. Omega was in the past again._

 _"Mallow?" Omega's past self asked timidly. "Where'd you go?"_

 _There was a snicker, a harsh laugh. A skinny brown shecat slid out of the shadows, her baleful amber eyes shining too bright, like she was feverish or something. She sneered, her voice raspy, "Mallow brought_ you _?" She laughed once more. "I was expecting someone more…"_

 _Mallow suddenly burst from a bush, snapping his jaws at the skinny, sickly shecat. "Beryl. Have some respect," he snarled. He unsheathed his claws threateningly._

 _Beryl whined, "That kit is so weak! Look at her. How's she gonna help us, er, have equal rights as Riverclan?"_

 _Omega bristled at her insult and hissed, "First of all, I'm not a kit. I'm an_ apprentice _. Second of all, I'm smarter than you think."_

 _Beryl snorted skeptically, but slinked away when Mallow bared his teeth at her. Mallow brushed up against Omega, a purr rumbling deep in his throat. "Hi, Omega." He smiled sweetly at Omega, and her heart nearly melted. "Why did your parents even name you 'Omega'? You deserve a prettier name."_

 _Omega shrugged, her cheeks burning up. "It's not like I can change my name."_

 _Mallow grinned, his eyes crinkling. "Yes you can. Anything's possible when you're here." He touched his nose to hers. "Let's think of a new name for you, okay? What do you want to be called when you're with my group and me?"_

 _Omega resisted drowning in his gorgeous sunset-colored eyes and managed to breath out, "I don't know. You can choose."_

 _Someone spat behind them. Omega whirled around, blushing after realizing Mallow's whole group was gathered on the marshy ground. The cat who spat said, "Lovebirds. Go somewhere else so you won't stink up our camp with your sappy love-y stench."_

 _Mallow spat back at the cat. "Have you forgotten that I am your leader? I'll do whatever I want here." He ignored the cat's grumble about him not being worthy of leadership, that someone older should have been chosen._

 _Omega suggested softly, "Let's take a walk, Mallow."_

 _Mallow brightened up. "Let's choose a name suitable for you, my dear."_

 _They walked out, their pelts brushing, each touch sending a spark up Omega's spine. We reached the fork in the stream and sat back on our haunches. Omega asked, "So, name?"_

 _Mallow purred, "Something beautiful for a beautiful shecat like you. How about a flower?"_

 _Omega purred loudly. "Rose? Lily? Daisy?"_

 _Mallow offered, "Or something else. Dawn, maybe? Or Moon, or Star… 'cause you're my star."_

 _Omega laughed at the cheesiness of his words. She replied softly, "And you're my lovely night sky."_

 _Mallow perked up. "How about Sky for your name? How 'bout it, Omega?"_

 _"Sky?"_

 _"Yes, that's perfect. Do_ you _think so?"_

 _"Anything you think is perfect, Mallow." Omega smiled at him and when he smiled back, Omega knew they will love each other for the rest of their lives._

Omega blinked, and she was swept back into her real world. She sighed and dug into her fish.

She really must have been in love with that rogue Mallow.


	5. Chapter 4: Surge

Owl, after finishing his sunhigh meal, limped heavily toward the apprentices' den. Sandy popped up from behind the reeds. "Hi, Owl!" she purred. "We're all glad you're okay."

Owl forced a smile onto his face. "Yeah, no, I'm fine." He made sure to grimace in pain.

"Everyone was worried, Panther especially," Sandy continued. She flashed Owl a bright grin. "He feels bad."

"Oh, he doesn't have to be," Owl responded. "He did nothing." Owl limped past Sandy into the den. He nearly jumped in surprise when he spotted Tiger Fang at the end of the den, long green rushes framing his muscular figure. Owl thought he'd be training.

Tiger Fang sneered. "What are _you_ doing here?" The dark tabby sniffed the air. "Yuck, you stink of herb poultices."

Sandy slid into the den beside them. "Tiger Fang," she hissed, rolling her eyes. "You're so insensitive sometimes. Owl here has a sprained paw."

Tiger Fang smirked. "Did _we_ get sprained paws on our second day of training?" There was an expression of exaggerated thoughtfulness on his face. "Uh, no, we did _not_." He turned his nose up into the air smugly.

Sandy swiped a sheathed paw at the tom in exasperation. " _You're_ no help. What are you doing in here anyway?" She glanced at me in sympathy and started to fluff up the moss in my nest. "Hey, rest there."

"Thanks, Sandy," Owl murmured, guilty that he was faking his injury.

"Well?" Sandy snorted. "Tiger, darling, are you in trouble _again_?"

Tiger Fang snarled, standing. Owl looked up at him in awe of his size. And muscles. He had _lots_ of muscles, probably from all the training he did. Tiger Fang admitted gruffly, "I was hunting on rogue territory. The cats on my patrol were even angrier than I thought they'd be! You'd think that a battle was fought on rogue land by how tense everyone was." Tiger Fang settled back down into his nest, looking glum. "I'm required to stay in this Starclan forsaken nest for two days with no meal today."

Sandy's eyes softened. "Aw, Tiger Fang. If you need food…"

Tiger Fang snapped at her, "I'm fine! If anything, make mouseheart over there do it."

Owl flinched at the insult. "I'm not a mouseheart!"

Tiger Fang taunted, "You so are. You're a weakling."  
Owl had enough of this. He, despite the fact that he was supposed to be faking his injury, launched himself at Tiger Fang. Fury surged through Owl as he battered Tiger Fang's muzzle. Tiger Fang was so startled that he didn't do anything for a few moments. Then he surged up and threw Owl off. He landed outside the den of reeds. That actually hurt. Owl couldn't lift himself- maybe his paw was actually sprained now. He felt tears rising to his eyes. He didn't know if it was from the pain or from the shame.

Sandy snarled at Tiger Fang. "You idiot! Foxhearted idiot! He's _injured_ and you injured him _more_." She rushed to Owl's side and helped him to his paws. Owl didn't need to fake his limp anymore as he staggered toward Omega's den with Sandy supporting him. He looked back at Tiger Fang, who had come out of the den and was lurking under the tall reeds. Was that a hint of guilt in his amber eyes?

Owl stumbled into the small cave and fell into the nearest moss nest, groaning in pain. He saw out of the corner of his eye Omega running toward them from the back of her den.

"What in the name of Starclan happened?" Omega asked Sandy, nudging Owl's foot with her muzzle. Owl yelped. That was the leg he landed awkwardly on.

"Er, we were play fighting…," Sandy lied.

Omega shot the dark ginger tabby a sharp look. "Are you sure about that? Why don't we ask Owl?"

Owl lifted his head weakly. "Honest, we were just training."

Omega narrowed her eyes but nodded. She jerked her chin at Sandy. "Fetch me some soaked moss." Sandy dipped her head and dashed out of the den.

Owl sighed as Omega started to peel off the herbs that were slicked to his leg. "Owl," Omega said sternly, "Tell me what really happened."

Owl confessed, "Tiger Fang was taunting me about being weak, so I attacked him, and he threw me off." He winced as Omega unwrapped the reeds and the small stick that acted as a splint for his "sprained" foot.

"You dislocated your leg, so you won't be needing these anymore," Omega explained. "I'll have to fix your bone. It'll hurt a lot, so we'll wait 'till Sandy gets back so she can hold you down." Owl widened his eyes but nodded. Just then, Sandy arrived with a huge scrap of soaked moss dangling from her jaws.

"Thanks, Sandy," Omega said. She let Owl lap water from the moss, then instructed Sandy, "Place your paws on his spine and hind leg- no, not the dislocated one… all right, that's good. Be sure to not let go, and stop him from moving." Omega shoved the soaked moss into Owl's mouth and he clamped his jaws down into the moss in surprise. Hardly a moment after, Omega gripped his leg and jerked it back into place. Owl let out a high pitched scream, but was panting in relief.

"Great Starclan, that feels better," Owl exclaimed. He stood up on wobbly paws.

"Owl's all right?" Sandy asked Omega. "Even his sprained paw?"

Omega smiled. "His sprained paw is doing better, but he'll have to stay in camp tomorrow and have regular check ups with me. Why don't you take him back to your den, and mind you, be careful. He's still limping!"

Sandy purred and she helped Owl to his paws. The two cats walked away, their flanks brushing.

 **Author's note: Sorry for such a short chapter. I've been super busy. Do you think Owl x Sandy could be a thing? And what do you think of Tiger Fang?**

 **Please stay tuned for the next chapter! If you want to know exactly when a new chapter is up, please follow this story :) I'll definitely try to write up a longer Chapter 5!**


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